Repayment
by SecretStrangeAngel
Summary: While recovering from his amnesia, Eric is determined to repay Sookie for her kindness despite her frequent refusals. Will he be successful in winning her affections? And what kinds of conflict might he encounter along the way? Sooric.


She was just… so… beautiful.

Sookie was all Eric could think about as he lay in his bed. He thought about how kind she had been to him, cleaning him up and letting him stay in her house (which could actually be his house; he wasn't really sure). Even though he couldn't remember anything much besides what he was, he felt a bond to her that he hadn't felt with the other woman, Pam, who had come to the house earlier that night. He was sure that this was important, and resolved to try hard to use this piece of the puzzle that was his former self to gain any additional information.

He remembered how she had recoiled when he'd asked if she was his. He had been a little hurt by this, but he also realized in that moment that she was just as confused as he was. Her change in attitude towards him from one minute to the next was clearly an indication that she was out of touch with her feelings for him. He wondered if they had been friends, or even lovers at one time. The thought made him feel warmer than normal. He decided that he would very much like to be her lover, and not just because of the way she smelled.

He contemplated this thought. He knew that her front wouldn't be hard to break, but he wasn't sure exactly how to break it. Something told him that his old self would never have felt this way, and he felt somehow uncomfortable about this insecurity with Sookie. He wanted her to trust him, but he wasn't sure what to do to earn that trust.

After a while, he realized that he was hungry. It was a different hunger than he remembered – a deeper, stronger hunger. He thought that perhaps he hadn't eaten in several hours, and was beginning to become deprived. Maybe his last meal had been tainted in some way, and that was why he was feeling so peculiar – not that he could really remember how he usually felt.

Slowly, he got out of bed. He didn't think he'd been in there for more than half an hour, which meant that there was at least an hour to search for something to eat before sunrise.

He scanned the room at the top of the ladder. It was empty. With the all-clear established, he slowly approached the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Eric cringed as if he were a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar. Apologetically, he turned towards Sookie. "I'm hungry," he said with a shrug, not meeting her eyes.

"It's almost daylight," Sookie said, almost maternally.

Eric looked up at her, and instantly wished that he hadn't. She was standing at the top of the stairs wearing a white nightgown. Her skin stood out against the cotton so starkly that he could practically see the blood flowing underneath. Her scent hit him, a fine foreign dessert.

Sookie seemed to see the desire in his eyes, and averted her gaze past him. "I'll have True Blood for you first thing when you wake up. Now, go to bed. Please."

He continued to stare at her, even though she refused to look back at him. The words were out before he could stop them. "Why don't you belong to anyone?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, finally meeting his eyes. "I don't want to belong to anyone."

"Why?"

Sookie sighed in exasperation. "Because I don't like being property."

Eric took a step towards the stairs. "I could take care of you, just like you take care of me. You've been… very kind. I'd like to repay you."

"Forget it. I don't want anything from you." Sookie turned and began to walk around the corner, out of sight.

"Sookie." Eric was up the stairs in an instant. Sookie gasped and took a step back, but said nothing. He looked down at her, and was again struck by her wide-eyed innocence. There was a moment of silence in which they both took each other in. Eric placed a hand on her cheek, brushing the skin softly. "I will repay you."

Sookie, dazed, gave a small smile before turning around and heading quickly back into her room.

Eric waited until the door shut tightly behind her before descending into his own lair. He smiled slightly as he lay back down, thinking about how sweet repayment could be as he drifted off for the day.


End file.
